Bubble Plant

Bubble plants look like large spheres. They are closely related to Sky Vines in that they are bouyant during part of their life cycle.

Life Cycle

After being released from their mother plant, small bubble plants float upwards. As they grow, they become heavier and larger, and eventually float back to the earth. Once they take root they begin to fill the bubble with new sprouts. After enough are created the bubble plant splits open, releasing the sprouts and dying in the process.

If the plant is unable to take root when it lands, or remains aloft for too long, it will dry out and create a hard thin husk. These husks can be used for various purposes (see Uses). In some locations, drifts of dried Bubble Plants can accumulate, covering bodies of water or deep crevasses with a deceptive decaying surface. Lurking predators wait beneath such drifts, ready to spring upon any creature unwary enough to venture into the husk drift.

Many varieties of bubble plant release in sync, producing clouds of small bubbles which drift across the landscape. Some bubble plants burst before reproducing, revealing a flower within which releases slow streams of bubbles over a long period of time.

Some varieties of Bubble plant are aquatic, producing air-buoyant or water-filled bubbles.

Parasitic Fauna

Since bubble plants are self-contained, they can be infected by many varieties of Fay. Some merely raise their young in bubble plants, while others can spend their whole lives in a bubble plant. A few varieties of plants also grow inside bubble plants, though this usually only occurs in instances of cultivation.

Uses

Bubble Plant husks are commonly used for containers by both the Fay and Zarth. Though wild bubble plants produce thin husks which decay quickly, some large varieties can be harvested before they are full grown, yielding a much thicker, tougher, and longer lasting shell. Bubble plants can also be tied and formed while growing, similarly to gourds, and with similar applications.

Flowering bubble plants are sometimes kept as house plants by the Fay. Nested bubble plants are cultivated as terrariums, though none but those with plant vision can appreciate the internal structure.